Why Are Truffles So Expensive?

You may have heard earlier this week that the world's largest truffle (at 3.3 pounds) sold at auction for $330,000—the largest sum ever paid for a single specimen of the rarified fungal delicacy. The auction, which was held simultaneously in London, Florence and Macau, was won by Macau casino magnate Stanley Ho, who outbid luxo-artist Damien Hirst (of multi-million-dollar diamond skull fame), among others. Ho's plans for the 'shroom are still unknown.

If you're quick on your feet, you've probably already put that into supermarket terms—an astronomical $100,000 per pound. While the hype value of the "world's largest" aspect of this auction inflated the price significantly, even at normal market price, truffles are among the most expensive food items on the planet. Why?

Because just about every truffle that lands on your plate has to be not picked but found—underground, mind you—by a human being, usually with the help of a specially trained mushroom-sniffing dog. All species of truffle (in the Tuber genus) are ectomycorrhizal, meaning they require a symbiotic relationship with roots of specific trees to live. The truffles, sprouting underground attached to the roots, get easy access to the nourishing sugars created by the tree during photosynthesis. The tree gets the benefit of increased root surface area with which water and nutrients can be better absorbed.

While it is possible to manually inoculate the roots of young trees with certain species of Tuber fungi, theoretically turning said tree into a truffle factory, the symbiotic relationship relies on numerous variables to thrive, including the presence of other fungi, soil and weather conditions, and specific types of trees. Add to that lag times of up to 20 years before truffles begin to sprout if you're lucky enough to get them to grow at all, and you've got one impossibly finicky plant to cultivate. It hasn't stopped humans from trying ever since the first proto-gourmand went ga-ga over the rich, earthy goodness of truffles hundreds of years ago. But there's still quite a long way to go. —John Mahoney

Comments

This is a simple for incredible example of how 'rareness' interacts with cost. It is a bit like bird's nests for bird nest soup. Made from the saliva of some bird and built high up cliffs in caves where huge wooden scaffolding has to be built to get at them. And who even wants them? In many cases, I bet, just those with money that need to demonstrate what THEY can do in this world while the rest of us enjoy plain French Onion soup or regular sauteed mushrooms. Frankly, they can have it.

The amount paid for the truffle shows how selfish some people are about themselves. It is low in food value, only yields a unique taste. What good could be done with $300,000 and blackeye peas or pinto beans and cornbread yum. Lots of people could eat and have a full stomach.

It's still a mystery to some why underground-growing fungi are so expensive. But if you tasted one, maybe you'll know the answer. The flavor of truffles is so rich, it's actually overwhelming. These are the true "diamonds in the kitchen," and these, together with caviar and foie gras, are considered as luxury foods.

This answers why there is a scarcity of truffles, but why would any one want to pay $100,000 p/lb of a fungus that looks like a tumor. The Tasmanian wolf may be one of the rarest species on earth but that doesn't mean I'm about to pay 100k for a pound of its doody.